The shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has left the drivers of LPG-powered autorickshaws in Kozhikode district a worried lot. With the supply at a pump in Payyoli stopping, the drivers of such vehicles from Koyilandy and Vadakara taluks have been forced to depend on fuel stations located in remote areas for over a month.
In Kozhikode rural area, there are only two LPG filling stations. Often, poor stock at the stations at Payyoli and Mukkom affects the operation of autorickshaws. Many drivers are now using petrol as a temporary alternative in their vehicles.
Drivers from Koyilandy and Vadakara taluks say there are about 500 vehicles in region affected by fuel shortage. If the situation continues, it will drive them to a big financial crisis during the pandemic and lead to vehicle loan payments getting delayed, they add.
In Kozhikode district, there are a total of five LPG filling stations, including two within city limits. According to the LPG autorickshaw drivers’ union, the supply of LPG from the two filling stations at Sarovaram and Puthiyangadi in Kozhikode city gets affected without prior notice.
Though the drivers have been seeking the intervention of authorities to end the uncertainty, they are yet to get a permanent solution. Despite the support promised by the State and Union governments for green energy initiatives, the drivers of LPG-fuelled vehicles feel that they are being neglected.
“There are over 1,000 autorickshaws that depend on the availability of LPG to carry out service. Though we were the first to cooperate with the government’s green energy drive to promote LPG-fuelled vehicles, we were abandoned midway with the entry of electric-powered autorickshaws,” says Sajeev Kumar, a member of the LPG autorickshaw drivers’ union. He says all official directives and interventions have failed to find a solution to the problem of fuel shortage. Drivers from Koyilandy and Vadakara say they have urged the District Collector and people’s representatives to take up the issue.